Comfort
by NeriahNee
Summary: ‘Did he just say that he wanted to stay with her? Again?’ [[InuyashaKagome OneShot]]


**Summary.:**_ '_Did he just say that he wanted to stay with her? _Again?' Inuyasha/Kagome One-Shot_

_A/N.: __I really adore the relationship Inuyasha and Kagome have, and I really wanted to do a one-shot depicting them. I daresay I like how it turned out, thanks to my incredible beta Crys AKA Akane-lovely Since it's the last day of summer, this piece of fiction is probably the only thing I'll be writing for a while. Hopefully I'll get my estimated at about 20 chapters WIP 'fic underway soon...but that's another story. Please excuse any errors in the text, sometimes I have trouble uploading from MSWord. ((head to desk))_

**_Critique and reviews are deeply appreciated._**

**DISCLAIMER.: I don't own Inuyasha or Kagome. I don't own the happy, wonderful world they dwell in. Takahashi-sensei does.**

**_. Comfort ._**

Kagome scratched the puppy's ears, adoring the loveable animal. Her mother had brought it home with her just a few hours ago. Souta had been playing with him earlier, but now it was Kagome's turn until dinner came. _But dinner is a half hour away, I have tons of time!_ Watching his ears twitch unceremoniously, she thought about the Feudal Era...a place that had been plaguing her thoughts ever since she left just a week ago. Shaking her head, Kagome scoffed quietlyas she thought of the half-dog hanyou back in the past. When she glanced at the puppy again, her gaze was clouded. His bright, soft blue eyes looked at her from behind his black coat and he wagged his downy tail. Her heart ached for the hanyou. To be honest...she was _missing_ him.

Hearing a scratching sound, she realized the puppy was trying to get under her bed. She picked up the curious little thing off of her bedroom floor and held him out at arms length, starting to talk to him.

"You think you're so cute don't you?" she asked him. He barked, and she set him back down so that he could play with one of Buyo's noisy toys.

At that moment, Souta came through Kagome's door panting like he had just finished playing with his soccer ball.

"Dinner's-ready-Kagome," he said between breaths. Kagome nodded her head as she picked up the puppy, and then followed her brother out of the room. "Oh yeah, and-Inuyasha's here."

"H-He is?" asked Kagome in a higher pitch than normal. Inwardly gulping, she thought: _Well it's about time, right? You should have been expecting this, Kagome..._. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the back of his silver head of hair, his head turned to show his handsome profile.

"Where in the _hell_ have you been!" Inuyasha exclaimed, getting in the girl's face with one long stride. She smiled as her eyes set on something she'd definitely wanted to see for a long time. The silver tresses, twitching ears, and the large gaudy red outfit...It was Inuyasha alright.

_Hello to you too, buddy._ "I've had exams. It couldn't be helped," said Kagome flatly, furrowing an eyebrow at his behavior. Inuyasha opened his mouth to retort but suddenly realized that she had some sort of animal in her arms, and just gaped at it. He stared into the creature's piercing blue eyes and then at Kagome.

"What kind of…?"he blurted out, pointing at the puppy. The animal barked and Inuyasha jumped behind Souta, still twitching and watching the scary mammal with... _No...it _can't _be..._jealous_y?_

"It's a puppy! Duh!" said Kagome, who was giggling madly now. "It's not going to hurt you Inuyasha, it's practically harmless! Don't worry, if he barks again I'll—"

"I KNOW WHAT IT_ IS _KAGOME I'M NOT STUPID!"

_Speak for yourself. _"Sure you did," she said lightly. Inuyasha turned more crimson than he already was and she thought he was about to explode. But to her utter amazement, he simply sat down and glared at the puppy with angry eyes and twitching ears. Strange sounds were emitting from him as his foot padded quickly on the floor.

"Is everyone ready to eat?" Kagome's mom broke the tension. Kagome put the puppy in his kennel and sat down to eat. A silence rushed over the table, and Inuyasha had turned around to eat his ramen while still glowering at the puppy out of the corner of his eye.

"So what took you so long?" asked Kagome, out of curiosity.

"You could've come by yourself you know. You do it all the time!"

"But I had exams! I couldn't! It's not like you _had_ to come and get me, I was just expecting you...to..." her cheeks began to flush.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter; I'm here now aren't I?" He looked at his food and stopped eating for a few minutes. Kagome was downright incredulous now. Very rarely did he stop shoving ramen into his mouth just to do something as simple as talking. Maybe something had _caused_ him to be late. She studied his features as a thoughtful frown creased her brow.

"Dear, are you alright?" asked her mom. The dazed girl looked up at everyone, who was staring at her, even the puppy across the room.

"Fine," she said quickly.

"Day-dreaming as usual," Inuyasha muttered under his breath. Kagome rolled her eyes and began to eat her food, which hadn't even been touched yet. Souta was already done no surprise there and Kagome's mom had already started cleaning up. She excused herself from the table when she was finished and went up to her room. Inuyasha would probably be down there with Souta for a few minutes, so she had some extra time to study for tomorrow's exam. This was her worst subject, Math; the last exam. She had practically memorized all of the formulas, but she still needed to cram as much as possible before tomorrow morning. The exam was supposed to last for two hours, so she didn't have much time to complete 150 questions. _Let's see... a+b(45)-c(67+6)..._

"Oi, Kagome!" she started, her pencil making a strange line across the paper. She slammed down the slender piece of wood, angry that she now had to erase most of the stuff she had just worked on.

"I'm studying!" she snapped.

With a rolling of his vibrant golden eyes, he sat cross-legged on her bed and watched her. "You don't have to bite my head off whenever I walk into the room ya know."

"Well why shouldn't I!" There was a long beat of silence before she sighed and started erasing the accidental line on the paper. She couldn't stand it when he did this...watching her every move. But desperately, she'd rather have him in her room than on the other side of the well... Kagome sighed as the corner of her mouth tugged upwards in a content grin. In truth, the girl hadn't realized how much she had missed him in just those few days. Over the past two years, the longest she'd ever stayed away was, well...four days. It was odd to think about being away from him longer than that. As much as she hated to admit it, he had become a part of her over time. Shaking her head, she set her pencil down.

"So anything interesting happen while I was gone?" she asked impassively.

"Well, Sango spotted Kohaku again," he explained in the same tone, looking at a book he'd pulled off the shelf on the way in. Kagome turned around in her seat, staring at him with an anxious frown set on her brow.

"We lost him again, that's all," he said reassuringly. "He led us far away from the village only to get away with the help of that wench, Kagura." For some reason, her favorite hanyou looked like there was something..._off_ about him today. Maybe he wasn't telling her something, or maybe there were other things on his mind. She could tell there was something hiding behind his unusually sullen eyes; he was avoiding her russet gaze.

"Well...is there something else?" she asked hesitantly. He looked over the rim of the book he was staring at while holding upside down. His shoulders lifted haughtily, elbows resting on his knees.

"Whaddya _mean_ is there somethin' else? Of course there isn't," he muttered impetuously. She backed off and turned around in her chair to continue studying. Surely something else was going on; he was reacting way too much for it to just be nothing. She tried to concentrate on her somehow blank study sheet but found that she just couldn't. She heard him walk over to the window he had come in through so many times before. The sound of the air conditioner was the only thing going into her ears at that moment. There had been times before when they had been in her room, enveloped by an awkward silence.

"I should get to bed soon. You can sleep here or go back to your own Era, I'll be there in the morning if you do," she said indifferently. He remained in the same spot, staring through the glass and not acknowledging her.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" she inquired impatiently, walking over to him with her hand on her hip. He nodded his head curtly and glanced up at her with an unreadable frown before looking back to the window.

"So...where are you going to go?"

"Whatever. It don't matter to me."

"Fine then. I'll just take it that you're staying here." He shrugged carelessly. Her forehead was contorted in a disappointed frown. Kagome didn't know what to make of the expression on his face, since she'd never seen it before. Well...actually, come to think of it...she _had_ seen it before. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," he said shortly. Poor Kagome was at a loss. Here she was, trying to pry something out of an already stubborn hanyou when she didn't even know what it was.

"Please, just tell me what's on your mind. I want to help," she added innocently. He finally unglued his eyes from the window, but not without getting angry in the process.

"What if I don't need your help!" he snapped viciously, clenching his teeth. She turned away, hurt by his harsh words.

"You know Inuyasha," she began softly. "It wouldn't hurt if you let someone help you every once in a while." Her brown eyes looked at him through her bangs, and she saw that he was staring at her intently, remorse and astonishment clouding his gaze. She left her spot in the chair to sit down next to him on the bed, looking down at her almost trembling hands. "_Please_ tell me what's wrong."

"Keh," was all he could say. The girl waited patiently for him to open up, but to no avail. _It must be something that he doesn't want me to know about._

"Inuyasha, what is it!" she asked anxiously. He sighed frustratingly.

"I sorta...broke a promise," he stated quietly, avoiding her gaze.

"You...broke a promise?" she asked hesitantly, pleading for his eye contact. She wasn't exactly expecting this. But then again, what was she expecting?

"I..." he began, "told her that I was waiting for something more important than death when I ran into her in the forest," he paused. "When I caught her scent I had to go after her," he watched as Kagome's eyes darkened and wavered. "I knew I what had to tell her. I told her that she had to move on...without me."

"You mean," she blinked, "Kikyou? What did...she do?"

"She got angry," he said this in a way that clearly said "duh!" "She thought she knew exactly what was going on...but she didn't. I stopped her before she could even begin to ridicule you - or—"

He cut himself off again as an ironic grin played on his lips, a mocking scoff leaving his mouth. "I know there's gotta be more than this. More than revenge. Pain. Betrayal." Kagome's brow creased in a thoughtful frown. "I need to kill 'im, to avenge her. But...I can't follow her, Kagome. I really...I can't do it." The schoolgirl watched his features in understanding, hoping that he was making the choice that he _wanted_ to make.

"Are you sure, Inuyasha?" she asked. _I have reason to ask. _He lifted his gaze to meet hers at last. "I mean...are you sure this is what you want? To...live without her?" He contemplated this for a moment. Then he blinked before bringing his face within inches of hers, staring into her depths and causing her to shiver. She gulped as the heat rose in her cheeks. He still wasn't talking, and he looked like he was having trouble thinking of what to say. "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah," he said absolutely. "I wanna live _here_, with—" he cut himself off, a blush tinting his face as a quiet grunt issued from his mouth. He looked away, content on avoiding her eyes at all costs.

"With who Inuyasha?"

"Uh...well..." he stammered, the redness in his cheeks growing at least three shades darker. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. "You," he mumbled, folding his arms inside his crimson haori as his bangs fell down over his visage. Kagome's eyes wavered in amazement, a large bulging sensation forming in her throat. She swallowed it down, determined to keep from shedding tears. Did he just say that he wanted to stay with her? _Again?_

"You've said it...before," she said thickly, her voice tinged with doubt as she grasped the bed sheets under her trembling fingers. "I...I _want_ to believe you, but I—"

"Look, just—just listen to me okay?" his words were tainted with brutal sincerity as he pleaded with her. "For all it's worth, I want this...I'm not going to take it for granted and throw it away like I've done with everythin' else. I can't lose you all over again, damn it." She looked up at him through her dark bangs, hot tears beginning to prick her eyelids.

"Inu-Inuyasha," she gasped, her voice threatening to break with every wavering breath she took. She looked down once more, hiding her face from his view. _I _know _the truth about how he feels._ "You _loved_ her. Those emotions are always going to rest in your heart; no matter what you feel f-for me." A choking sob escaped her throat as she pressed her eyes closed in a desperate attempt to stop the tears from flowing.

"Kagome," he said firmly, "whatever feelings I have for her now aren't_ love_, I can tell ya that much." He gulped as he slowly brought a clawed finger to rest underneath her chin, lifting teary eyes to meet his. "Those feelings of affection died a long time ago. All that's left now is vengeance." She squeezed her eyes shut once more, stifling another sob and biting her lip. He moved closer and timidly wiped away the salty tears with the pads of his thumbs. She nodded her head in understanding, opening her eyes to meet his concerned gaze_. "Believe me."_

He tilted his head to the side, his eyelids growing heavy. Feeling her ragged breathing on his jaw-line, something sparked inside of him. Closing his eyes, he caught her lips in a chaste, innocent kiss. Kagome sighed through her nose as his lips grew pliant with hers, beckoning for her to relax. She was drenched in unknown sensations while he was following through with his ministrations. The taste of her mouth was tinged with salt and a large amount of moisture, wrapping around his tongue. He pulled away reluctantly as he looked at her dazed expression, her moist eyes fluttering open. Smudging the new tears away, he caressed her delicate features lightly.

"Inuyasha..." she muttered.

"I don't know what it'll take, Kagome..." he said. "But I hope I'll be able to prove it to you."

"It..." she began hoarsely. "It'll take time," she said truly. He nodded his head, staring at her features thoughtfully for a long moment.

"I hate when ya cry like this," he said to her.

She chuckled quietly, shaking her head. "I'm okay, Inuyasha... I'm just..." she trailed off, frowning. _What am I? _"I'm overwhelmed." He smirked slightly before brushing her bangs away to kiss her forehead. Her head rested in the crook of his shoulder as she sighed contentedly. Linking her arms around his neck, she filled her senses with his unusual aroma.

His arms pulled her into his lap, tightening the embrace. His fingers toyed with her ebony tresses, enjoying how soft the texture slid through his grasp. It felt so right, to have her there...in his arms. How he longed to hold her sometimes, when she began to doubt him. _Ya don't have to doubt me anymore, Kagome. _They stayed in that position until a certain little pest decided to disturb them. A resounding yelp sounded from downstairs and Kagome jumped, clutching his red haori as she moved impossibly closer to him. A deep blush tinted her cheeks as well as his, and she grinned sheepishly as he held her close.

"It sure is a noisy one," he breathed into her ear. The yelping desisted and Kagome sighed in relief. Her mom had obviously already gone to calm the puppy down. She could even hear the faint sound of footsteps descending the stairs before they vanished seconds later. _Thank goodness...I really didn't want to move... _Kagome blinked before realizing that they weren't in the most comfortable position. Inuyasha began to move away from her, but she grabbed hold of his arm.

"You don't have to sit on the floor this time, you know..." she said vaguely. A light shade of pink tinted his features and he nodded, settling himself against the wall behind the bed while Kagome nestled into his arms. He breathed in her scent, inwardly sighing. She turned to face him lazily; gently bringing her fingers up to brush away his bangs. The moon shone through the window, highlighting his rugged features.

She smiled to herself, a feeling of ease sweeping over her in a rush. For the first time in a long while she felt that she had truly connected with him. Kagome could only be agonizingly hopeful that he would say those words. Fighting her emotions towards Inuyasha was an all too familiar situation, and she often found herself wondering if she should just give up. They knew they had overcome the hardest part, and were all but ignorant to the fact that they still had a long way to go. He wrapped his arms even more tightly around her petite bodice, her forehead now pressed against his.

"Were you scared?" she asked rather suddenly. His hands desisted from touching her hair, only to move to her shoulder. She could feel him tensing up and cursed silently. Kagome knew that Inuyasha admitting fear was about as likely as seeing lush grass in the middle of a blizzard.

"Of what exactly?" he inquired. He felt her shrug slightly.

"Going with her," she said quietly. "And be serious. Don't say that you're fearless, because I know for a fact that one word is enough to make you run and hide," she said, her fingers trailing along the enchanted beaded necklace that hung around his neck. She heard him sigh dejectedly, the air escaping his mouth and rustling her hair. There was an uncomfortable silence while he thought out what he was planning to say.

"Well, sorta," he replied. "I mean, I wasn't about to go jumpin' in thinking it would feel like a hot spring." Kagome fought back a grin at his attempt to lighten the mood. "I wasn't thinking about anyone else but Kikyou alone. I was prepared to do whatever it took to be with her, even if it meant me bitin' the dust. The thing was...that I didn't care. What else was there for me?" There was now regret tingeing his words. "Then after I realized that there was somethin' here worth staying for, my mind began t'...change." She could see that he was having difficulty saying what he needed to say. He wasn't the master at conversing with other people, but he did it the best way he knew how. She grinned against the fabric, her nose nuzzling his warm neck. He felt a slight jolt surge through him, as if bringing him back to life.

"Change, huh?" she muttered quietly. He nodded his head slightly against her hair. "I'm glad."

"Glad?" he inquired.

"Yeah. Life...you don't have long to live it. Make the most of it, that's what my friends say," she said. Her eyes narrowed reminiscently and before she could stop herself the words floated out of her mouth. "I don't know what I would do with myself if something happened to you." His arm tightened around her waist as he winced.

"Don't say that," he said decisively.

"It's the truth though," she said, her head lifting to meet his gaze. She was slightly surprised to find that his eyes were intent on her, and her alone. Not the woman she shared her soul with. _Her._

"I don't _care_ if it's the truth; something's _bound_ to happen to me at some point, you know that. Don't be _naïve_," he said. Kagome scowled at this.

"I'm not being naïve," she retorted hotly. "I'm just saying that—"

"That what?" he snapped. Kagome placed both her hands on either side of his neck as if she were about to choke him. He was about to fight her off, but the look in her eyes caught him.

"I won't_ let_ anything happen to you," she said earnestly. He grew frustrated as he shook her hands off.

"That's _my_ job, remember? _I'm_ not supposed to let anything happen to _you_. Ya forget that you're the one who needs help," he said firmly. If he thought this would calm her down, he was dearly mistaken.

"You're saying that I _need_ your protection? As if I can't defend myself!" she replied fiercely. He shook his head in an attempt to reassure her, but it didn't work. She pouted for a moment before he gently grabbed hold of both her shoulders.

"Just leave it to me, okay?" he said with a note of finality. "Defend yourself when ya have to, other times...I'll be there." Kagome's eyes widened slightly as his own hands came up to rest on either side of her neck. She felt like tipping her head back at the sensation it gave her, but fought to stay conscious. She muffled a yawn, but unfortunately...he saw it.

"Sleep. You'll need it before tomorrow," he told her. She rolled her eyes but gladly moved back into the embrace she had gradually fought out of. His open arms awaited her as she nestled into his chest, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder once more. Wrapping her arms around the middle of his back, he drew her ever closer.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said faintly, sleep beginning to overtake her. He didn't say anything, but mouthed something inaudible to her ears. His hand caressed her back in a soothing motion as she quickly fell asleep, her breathing becoming heavier and slower with each breath. His eyes remained opened for the longest time, staring into space. He glanced over to the book lying at the foot of the bed. It was open to a random page, the edges of the paper flittering slightly in front of the air vent. A faint grin graced his lips as he heard her heartbeat sounding in his ears, slightly fainter than his own.

"'_Till tomorrow, Kagome."_

**_.Fin._**


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